Designer Bums are an all in two (Ai2) nappy. They are Australian owned. The most noticeable thing about them is the prints. They are all exclusive designs, hand-illustrated by artists. The nappy pictured is from the most recent Wandering Earth collection (2019).

There are now newborn and larger versions of this nappy available.

The fit of Designer Bums is different from other cloth nappies. They are designed to fit really snug and small, like a pair of pants. But I think this puts people off as it can appear that they are very small and won’t last until potty training. This is certainly not the case and they really pack the punches on the absorbency stakes.

The nappy is only available with a popper waist fastening. Unlike most popper nappies there is just one single row of poppers. But I actually really like this and certainly don’t miss the extra row or the separate row for hip stability poppers. It makes putting the nappy on a little bit quicker too.

Because the Designer Bums fits so snug it looks like a great option for newborns too. On the smallest rise it really is tiny. The popper tabs can be overlapped, but the overlap can be really well overlapped if wanted so the waist goes so tiny.

The elasticated legs offer great containment. If I could pick just one area of improvement for this nappy I’d like the elastics to be slightly softer on the legs. They don’t leave deep sock marks by any means, and the socks marks do fade quickly.

Inside the nappy is lined with a soft white suede. This is stay-dry so no need to add additional liners unless you want to.

It has been designed to be used either as an Ai2 or a pocket nappy. The inserts can be purchased separately if you want to use it as an Ai2, this means you’ll need less shells and can be more cost effective. I personally use them as pockets as that suits us better. There is a good sized opening at the back of the nappy for stuffing inserts.

With the Designer Bums you get two inserts. These are a mix of bamboo and cotton, both finished with a stay-dry layer on one side. One insert is a basic rectangle and has snap-in poppers. The other is much longer and fans out at one end, this is called the anchor insert. Because the inserts are made of natural fibres, but the stay-dry layer is man-made you will find the insert shrinks slightly after a few washes. This makes the stay-dry look a bit baggy. It doesn’t affect the use at all.

When you’re in the smaller rise settings it is very difficult to use the anchor insert in the pocket with the widest part at the front. There isn’t really sufficient room at the front, but you can turn it around so the widest part is at the back. However for most small babies the snap-in insert should provide sufficient absorbency and so I would use this by snapping it in at the front.

Once you’ve opened the nappy rise fully you’ll be able to stuff the anchor inside the pocket with the widest part at the front you prefer.

For extra absorbency you can also use the snap-in insert whilst the anchor insert is in the pocket. This obviously makes the nappy a tiny bit bulkier but will add a lot more absorbency.

My baby is a super heavy wetter. The vast majority of our nappies need to be boosted. However with Designer Bums not only do we not need to boost, at the moment I don’t add the snap-in either so I still have the option of increasing the absorbency without having to buy additional boosters.

Designer Bums are incredibly popular in Australia. Each release sells out extremely quickly, and certain prints can command very high prices preloved. They are available in the UK, but aren’t quite so popular just yet.

Overall I really like these nappies. They fit nicely, they are slim but highly absorbent. The absorbency is very customisable. And the prints are unique and stunning. They are actually pretty affordable too at $35AUS.

You can see this review, and many others on my YouTube channel.